*For live cams of some of the following locations please click here to visit our Funwebsites page*
CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA
This afternoon you will arrive on the beautiful tree-covered campus of Dickinson College. Those arriving by plane will be met at the nearby Harrisburg Airport by SOA staff. After registration, settle into your air-conditioned room and meet your roommate.
CARLISLE - several days of rehearsal and concerts
These next few days will be spent in intensive rehearsal and tour orientation, as well as concerts for the public. Concerts are usually full-house audiences.
CARLISLE - NEW YORK
Depart Carlisle and travel by chartered bus to New York for your transatlantic flight. En route, we pass the impressive island of Manhattan, the heart of New York City. Overnight flight to Europe.
ROTHENBURG
Guten Morgen! This morning your plane touches down in Germany. Board our private deluxe coaches and travel to the medieval town of Rothenburg, completely surrounded by ramparts. As you enter the town, you step back into the 16th Century.
ROTHENBURG
Rothenburg is a small fairytale town complete with cobble-stone streets and tall gabled houses. Visit the small shops, museums, or explore the ramparts and watchtowers that surround this enchanting town. Tour the town in a horse-drawn wagon. A concert is planned for tonight. This evening, after the concert, you may wish to visit one of the quaint cafes where you can sample some delicious Bavarian pastry.
ROTHENBURG - SALZBURG
Our journey takes us through the German countryside to Salzburg, Austria. Here we will visit the famous Salt Mines located near Salzburg. Dressed in miner's coveralls, you will have fun as you slide down the giant slides to the different levels of mining shafts and cross an underground lake on a raft before returning to the surface aboard a miners' train. Continue this afternoon to our hotels in the historic town of Salzburg.
Today we can enjoy visiting the beautiful city of Mozart and "The Sound of Music." You can explore the "Old Town" which includes Mozart's Birthplace and Residence, the lovely Mirabell Gardens and the "Dom" Cathedral. You can also walk or ride the funicular railway up to the Hohensalzburg, the medieval fortress overlooking the town of Salzburg. A concert is planned tonight.
SALZBURG - SAALFELDEN - VENICE
A morning drive takes us to the Austrian resort, Saalfelden. We will make a special stop at the gian Alpine Slide. Those who enjoy a thrilling ride can take the chair lift to the top of the mountain and then get on a toboggan and speed down the mile-long Alpine Slide, which has 3 tunnels, 3 jumps and 63 curves. Our journey continues south over the breathtaking Grossglockner Pass into Italy. A picnic is planned in the snowcapped Alps before arriving in Venice.
(Click here to see some Venetian masks.)
VENICE
We start this morning with a private vaporetto boat ride into the heart of Venice. Our guided sight-seeing tour is on foot since no traffic on wheels is permitted in Venice. Our tour guide will explain and show us the history of Venice through the St. Mark's basilica, the Doges Palace and Bridge of Sighs. The tour concludes at the Murano Glass Factory where you can watch craftsmen fashion their delicate Venetian glass. The SOA choir will perform for evening mass in the world famous St. Mark's Cathedral, an awesome musical experience! A gondola ride through the winding canals would be a perfect way to end your visit to Venice.
Click here to see St. Mark's Basilica at night
VENICE - VERONA - STRESA
Our first stop today is in Verona, the setting for Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," where you can see the famous balcony of Juliet. We will also visit the Verona Coliseum, the world's third-largest Roman Coliseum where major operas are still presented. After lunch we continue through Italy to Stresa, a lovely Italian resort located directly on Lake Maggiore.
Click here to see Verona's Roman Coliseum.
STRESA
Located in a panoramic and picturesque setting on the 40-mile long Lake Maggiore, Stresa is an internationally renowned Italian resort. Here you can relax and swim today or take a boat ride to one of the nearby Borromeo Islands to see the palace. An evening concert is planned. A capacity crowd, in fact, a standing-room only crowd always attends our evening concert in Stresa.
Click Here to view a 166K Photo of Isola Pescatori, one of the Borromeo Islands
STRESA - GRINDELWALD
A morning drive takes us over the scenic and thrilling St.
Gotthard Mountain Pass. After a lively snowball battle at the
top of the pass, enjoy a picnic lunch by the mountain lake. We
continue through the Swiss Alps to Grindelwald,
a beautiful ski village located high in the mountains.
GRINDELWALD
A relaxing day will be spent in this picturesque mountain village of chalets. You will have an opportunity to ride one of the longest cable car rides in the world to the top of the Alps. Upon reaching the top, you can hike along the many trails, sometimes covered with snow. A concert is planned for tonight in the Kongresshalle.
Click to see a beautiful view of the Berner Alps from Bachalpsee
GRINDELWALD - INTERLAKEN - LA CHAUX DE FONDS
This morning we will visit the Trummelbach Falls. You will
be impressed with the power and force of these famous falls which
drain three large glaciers. The remainder of the morning, you
can explore Interlaken with its many shops filled with watches,
cuckoo clocks, music boxes and Swiss Army pocketknives. After
lunch, we continue to La Chaux-de-Fonds where SOA will present
a performance in the town's beautiful concert hall this evening.
LA CHAUX DE FONDS - DIJON - PARIS
Enjoy lunch in Dijon, famous for its mustard. Later today, the Eiffel Tower appears on the horizon as we approach Paris. After dinner, we will take a relaxing cruise on the River Seine past many of the famous Paris landmarks.
PARIS click for a picture of Notre Dame Cathedral
The Sound of America Honor Chorus plans to to perform inside
the famous gothic cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris
this morning. 
After lunch, your
guided sight-seeing tour starts with Notre Dame and takes you
from Place de la Concorde, up the grand avenue of the Champs Elysées,
to the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Les Invalides,
the Bastille square and finally the original Opéra. A performance
for the band and choir is scheduled for this evening in one of
Paris's largest churches.
PARIS
Today
affords you the opportunity to visit the many famous sites of
Paris, such as the Louvre
Museum where you can view the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and Venus
de Milo as well as works by Delacroix, David, Michaelangelo, Veronese,
etc. Perhaps you would like to also visit Napoleon's Tomb and
the military museum at Les Invalides or the impressionistic art
museum, Musée
d'Orsay. The Orsay museum holds works by Van Gogh, Manet,
Renoir, Monet, Gauguin, etc. Or maybe you'd prefer to vist the
Opera, the beautiful church of Ste. Chapelle or Paris's most visited
cemetery, Pere LaChaise where Chopin, Moliere, Bizet, Jim Morrison,
etc. are buried. Tonight you will have the optoin to go to the
top of the Eiffel
Tower for an extraordinary view of the city.
To see some of the Louvre's sculptures in 360 degrees, here to click on the different areas of the Louvre and its collection of artworks.
DISNEYLAND PARIS
The SOA Honor Band and Chorus has been invited by Disneyland Paris to perform again this year. The remainder of the day is free in Disneyland to enjoy the many attractions. Have your picture taken with Pluto or Goofy!
DISNEYLAND PARIS - REIMS - LUXEMBOURG
This morning we will make a short visit in Reims, famous for its champagne. Most of the kings of France were crowned in its Notre Dame Cathedral, also known for it's 'smiling angels' and special stained-glass windows. We will take a brief lunch here before continuing on to Luxembourg for performance in Luxembourg's most prestigious concert hall. Each year we have performed here, the concert hall has been sold-out.
LUXEMBOURG - STRASBOURG
We start today with a visit to the American Cemetery in Luxembourg, where we can pay homage to the 5000 American soldiers buried there who died in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Flowers will be placed at the grave of General George S. Patton. After lunch in the friendly city of Luxembourg, we then travel to Strasbourg where tonight we present our final concert before an audience of over 2000 people who demand encore after encore!
Click Here to view a 183K photo of Strasbourg
STRASBOURG - RUSSELSHEIM
We will spend a morning relaxing in the center of old Strasbourg, where even on Sunday mornings there are things to see and souvenirs to buy, as well as the possibility of attending service in Strasbourg's impressive rose-colorered Notre Dame cathedral. We will continue to Russelsheim where a special farewell party is planned for tonight.
GERMANY - NEW YORK
This morning our buses transfer us to the airport for our flight
home to New York. SOA Staff will assist those tour members who
will make flight connections to their home cities while others
may meet their families at our New York Airport or in Carlisle.
NOTE: In the event circumstances make it necessary or advisable to alter the itinerary, such modifications may be made.
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last modified 12-12-01, tlb
